Captive
by Livandier
Summary: When Draco finds an exhausted Hermione collapsed in the forest near Voldemort's camp, he brings her to the safety of his home, which is currently under protection from the order. However, when he realizes that she has lost all of her memories, things chan
1. The Escape

No, I do not own Harry Potter...but one can dream, right?

She ran through the thick trees of the dark forest, branches slashing at her bruised and dirtied face. Her side ached and she was exhausted, but she couldn't stop running.

The cold rain whipped into her face like tiny shards of ice. Her honey hair clung to her face, mingling with the blood trickling from the cut above her eye. She could hear their voices from behind, calling orders to stop her, no matter the method.

Her run came to a stumbled walk as her strength dwindled to nothing and she collapsed on the cold and muddied ground. Her labored breathing slowed as she lay still and waited for them to find her, and kill her.

"Hermione," she heard. It was a kind voice, so different than the brutal voices she was accustomed to hearing, and not at all what she was expecting. And that name, was it really hers? She couldn't recall, she hadn't heard her name in such a long time. As much as she wanted to answer the smooth, worried voice, she found herself unable. Her throat was much too dry.

"Don't worry Hermione, I'll protect you," he said. It was the last thing she heard before slipping into the darkness of oblivion.

Hermione's eyes fluttered open to see the interior of a richly decorated room of deep colors. This was a dream, she calculated. It had to be. Even though she had stopped dreaming long ago, it had to be a dream.

"Hermione?" she heard from beside her. It was the voice of the man who had rescued her. She turned her head to face him and saw Draco Malfoy. Now she knew she was dreaming. Either that or she was dead. That was a distinct possibility, she thought grimly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" she asked, her own voice sounding alien to her.

"No," he replied and then added "and you're quite alive as well. The Order will be glad to hear that."

"The Order?" she questioned. "What happened? And where are we?" Draco gazed at her in shock.

"You mean you don't know?" he asked, his tone incredulous. "With the exception of that last question, you should know all of those answers."

"I'm afraid I don't."

"What do you remember?" he asked. "Tell me what sounds familiar. Ron, Harry, Ginny, Dumbledore, Remus, The Order, Voldemort."

"Really Draco, who doesn't know who Voldemort is?" she replied and Draco gave a sigh of relief. "Ginny is my friend, at least I think she still is. Ron is Ginny's older brother. Dumbledore was our Headmaster in Hogwarts. Remus taught us Defense in our third year. He's a werewolf. If I'm correct in assuming you mean Harry Potter, he's supposed to defeat Voldemort, right?"

Apparently, these were not the answers that he was looking for because Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his platinum blonde hair.

"You really don't remember?" he asked. "You must remember Ron. More about him, I mean. You remember me, so you _must_ remember Ron. You two were-" He suddenly cut his sentence short.

"We were what?" she inquired. "What were we?"

"And The Order!" he continued. "You were a part of it! A damn important part!"

"What the bloody hell are you rambling on about?!"

"We were partners," he finally muttered. "On our…last mission, you were captured. We were the two spies for The Order. We pretended to be death eaters so we could get information for the order."

"What is The Order?"

"It's the force against Voldemort," he explained. "You were our best spy, and you became Voldemort's favorite quickly. But somehow, he found out we were spies and he planned to capture the two of us and probably torture information out of us."

"I have a couple of questions," said Hermione.

"Of course you do, you don't remember anything," he muttered. Hermione ignored the comment and went on.

"Was I a dedicated spy?" she asked, receiving a nod. "And would I do anything to protect our cause?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I think," she said, "that I've sealed away all the memories I had that might give even a subtle hint to any information that I knew."

"Oh, is that all?"

"One more thing Draco," she added. "I don't know how to get them back."

A/N: This is one of my favorite stories, though its rather short. It's complete on paper, and under ten chapters long. The chapters do get longer. please review. I love reviews. constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated=)


	2. Clues

**Disclaimer:**_Nothing you recognize belongs to me. the plot is my own._

_  
"I think," she said, "that I've sealed away all the memories I had that might give even a subtle hint to any information that I knew."_

_"Oh, is that all?"_

_"One more thing Draco," she added. "I don't know how to get them back."_

"You what?"

"I don't know how to get my memories back," said Hermione simply. "And I know I'm not stupid enough to use some simple spell that Voldemort would easily come by."

"You can't know that," he said quickly.

"Really Draco, I was, not to gloat, the most brilliant witch Hogwarts has seen in over a century."

"Just brilliant," he muttered, "what does that title get you now? I'll bet you don't even remember your classes."

"I do!" protested Hermione. "I remember all of my classes, especially Ancient Runes. Hey Draco, didn't I score higher than you on the Ancient Runes NEWTS?" she taunted, but Draco had suddenly grown silent.

"Repeat what you just said."

"Didn't I score higher than you?" she questioned, wondering what his point was.

"No, before that."

"I remember all of my classes, especially Ancient Runes," she repeated. Draco grinned and Hermione inquired as to why he was grinning so broadly at her.

"I know how to get your memories back," he replied smugly. "Well, not exactly, but I have an idea."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"You left yourself clues," he answered. "Like Ancient Runes. You remember that class best. There must be a reason."

"See? I'm smarter that you thought I was," said Hermione through a yawn.

"Oh. I've no doubt as to how smart you are," he said. Hermione was about to ask precisely what he meant when he abruptly stood and pointed at her. "You however, need to sleep."

Hermione was about to object when she yawned once again and she realized just how tired she was. Draco said goodnight and left her alone to rest.

Draco was awakened by a series of screams coming from down the hall. Without a doubt as to where, or rather who, they were coming from, Draco set off down the hall to Hermione's room. He opened her door to reveal a screaming Hermione curled on the bed, her hands clutching her head.

He felt sorry for her, but it was more than just pity that he felt towards her. It was guilt. Guilt because the reason that she was caught and tortured, was him. Another scream penetrated through his thoughts to the core of his being and he knew he had to do something to end the apparent pain that Hermione was in. He went to her side and tried to wake her, his efforts proving futile.

"Hermione?" he asked, growing more concerned with each passing moment. "Hermione, get up. You have to wake up!" He wondered if he had shouted or not, he wasn't sure.

Hermione's eyes shot open and her screams ceased. Her breathing was heavy and labored as Draco whispered soft words of comfort until she was calm once more. She was first to speak.

"Do you have any dreamless sleep potion?" she asked suddenly, as though she had just remembered something.

"As a matter of fact, I do," he replied. "I know how ruddy awful the nightmares can get." Hermione regarded him with interest for a short while before finally commenting.

"It wasn't a nightmare," she said quietly, causing Draco to glance at her solemn expression and sit on the chair that was still beside the bed.

"What do you mean?" he asked. "Nobody could've possibly gotten in here. Well, nobody that would mean you harm. I'm under the fidelous charm, and I seriously doubt that Harry Potter betrayed my location the Dark Lord."

"I didn't say anything about being attacked," she replied. "I just said that it wasn't a nightmare."

"Well yes, but still," he insisted. "Nobody could've gotten in here to do anything."

"Not in person," she replied, waiting for Draco to grasp her meaning. He didn't. "They know my mind, and they know what I've done. I would rather not give away anything that I know after over a year of resisting to do so."

"But you don't know anything," persisted Draco.

"Wrong, I know plenty, it's just hidden. And what is hidden can always be found. They've lost me, and they want me back."

"But they can't get you."

"So they'll get the next best thing. They'll search my mind until they find what it is that they want, and they don't care if I go insane in the process."

"But why would-"

"I would go insane," said Hermione impatiently, wondering when Draco Malfoy had gotten so utterly stupid, "because of three things. First, the few memories that I do have of happiness would be torn apart. Second, they will be searching every single corner of my mind. I think you understand why that would be harmful. And third, when the Dark Lord himself searches his captive's minds, he doesn't like to leave them as they were before. He ruins people's lives. He makes that a priority. Voldemort requires pain. He _enjoys_ pain."

"That much I know," said Draco, knowing full well this aspect of Voldemort's sick pleasure.

"Right. Not only do I have no desire to give away secrets that I've traded my own memories to protect, but I don't enjoy being in extreme pain," concluded Hermione.

Draco accioed the potion without another moments hesitation. He had caused her enough pain as it was. There was no need to add the torture of the Dark Lord himself scourging her mind to that pain.

He handed her the vial and she thanked him before downing the contents.

"Hey 'Mione?" he asked, receiving a sleepy 'what'. "What kept you sane in that place?"

"I suppose since you're the only person that I knew and thought about," came her tired reply, "that it was you." Draco was surprised at this answer, though he hid it well. If Hermione had noticed his shock, she did not comment on it.

"Good night," he whispered quietly before slipping out of the room, softly closing the door behind him. He leaned against the hard wood in amazement.

The one thing that had kept her sane was her memory of him, whereas the one thing that had been slowly driving him to insanity was his memory of her.

**A/N:**I am so sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! It was a really hectic couple weeks ever since college started to matter D= I promise I'll try to update more often! Drop me a review letting me know what you thought ^^


	3. Secrets Revealed

Disclaimer: No, Harry Potter is not mine...okay, so neither is Draco. But he should be. Nothing but the plot is mine.

"Draco?" asked Hermione as she entered the grand library. Draco peeked over the stack of books that was in front of him and asked what she wanted.

"I was just wondering," she said, "when The Order was going to come. I've been here for a week, and I'd really like to see my friends." Draco glanced at her and laughed.

"Unless you've been more successful in your searches for that charm you used, and you've neglected to tell me," he said, "I don't believe that you know very much about those friends of yours." She glared at him, a hurt expression on her features.

"It's not exactly my fault that I had to seal away all my memories," she said hotly. "It's not like I wanted to be captured by Voldemort."

"You're right," replied Draco seriously, "and I'm sorry for that."

"And why do you keep apologizing?" asked Hermione in a rant. "It seems that every time my capture comes up, you apologize! It's not like it was your fault."

Draco didn't say anything. He just bent his head over the books in front of him and pretended to read. Hermione stormed out of the room after he had read the same sentence for the fourth time. He let out a troubled sigh. If only she knew, she might think differently about him.

The sound of shattering glass outside the library door tore him from his thoughts. He stood and ventured to the door to investigate. He saw Hermione kneeling on the ground picking up shards of broken glass, the knees of her jeans darkened from the puddle of water she had knelt in. He bent to help her when she stopped him.

"Don't," she said. Her voice had taken an almost cruel tone before softening. "Don't help me."

"'Mione, it's not-"

She gasped in pain as she sliced her finger on a sharp piece of glass. "Oh shit," she mumbled as droplets of bright red blood dripped to the floor.

"Here, let me," said Draco, reaching out to her finger. She pulled away from his touch.

"Will you just leave me alone?" she asked harshly. "I can do it myself." Her voice quavered and Draco persisted with the subject.

"No you can't."

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," she snapped. "I'm so sick of this! You treat me like I can't do anything, like I'm useless! You're always reminding me that I dint have my memories, as if I don't already know. You treat me like I'm glass, and you don't tell me certain things. And then you act like I can't even fix a cup!"

"'Mione, you're overreacting," Draco managed before being cut off once again.

"There you go again!" she exclaimed. "Now, where is my wand? I'm going to fix that bloody cup!"

"You don't have a wand anymore!" said Draco loudly, matching Hermione's tone. "They have your wand! If you really want to fix the cup so bloody much, than here," he said, tossing his own wand at her, "try mine."

"Why thank you Malfoy," she said, sarcasm thick in her voice. "It's so nice to know you trust me enough to fix a cup. So tell me, is this my new job? Fixing dishes? Pray, do tell, where are the rest of the broken cups? Some shattered plated perhaps?"

"I'm not arguing about dishes with you," he said dryly.

"This isn't about dishes," retorted Hermione. "This is about how you never let me do anything. I just sit around and look at books all day."

"Oh, heaven forbid I don't let me houseguest slave over everything," he remarked sarcastically.

"Have you thought," asked Hermione seriously, "that maybe, just maybe, it sucks to be helpless? That I hate having to take your word for everything? That maybe I would like, that I need to do something for myself?" Tears formed in her almond eyes until they spilled over, forming tracks of warm wetness down her cheeks.

"Please don't cry 'Mione," said Draco, his voice guilt ridden. He bent down and picked up his wand, cleaning up the shards of glass and water with a flick of it, and sank down next to Hermione, leaning against the hard, cold wall. "You know I don't like to see you cry."

"Do I?" she asked, placing her head in her hands. She couldn't stop the steady flow of tears from streaming down her face. It wasn't as bad during her captivity, this feeling of emptiness. She didn't even know that she was missing anything at all. Sure, she had missed her friends, but this was something more. This was her life. She didn't remember her life, and the worst part about it was that now, she knew she didn't remember.

"I don't know anything," she said.

"Wrong," replied Draco gently. "You know plenty. It's just hidden. And what's hidden can always be found."

"That's my line," said Hermione quietly.

"What better advice to follow than your own?"

"It's just so frustrating," she said. "I just don't know if I believe it anymore. I mean, I don't even know how I was captured."

Draco sighed and closed his eyes, allowing his head to fall back to the wall with a soft thud. A silent debate rang in his mind as he thought about the note of hopelessness in Hermione's voice. This was the one answer, without a doubt, that he could provide for her. Even if he didn't tell her the entire story, he could still tell her how it ended, right?

"Hermione I-" he began, but stopped, deciding to rephrase his words. In the end, he decided to just tell her. "You were captured because of me. I was the one that they had first. It would've been me. Hell, it should've been me," he murmured.

"Why did they-I mean, how did they get you first?"

"That's another story for another time," he replied. "Anyway, once you heard of my capture, you set off to save me. I'm not sure how, but you got me out, and on our way back, they captured you instead. Harry made sure that I didn't go after you when we got back to headquarters; you had made me run with some charm. Even I don't know why Harry stopped me from going after you. One would think that he'd rather have you than me any day. That's something you'll have to ask him when you see him."

"You mean?"

"Right. Harry is coming to see you."

"When?" she asked.

"In two weeks," replied Draco apologetically. "It was the only time that Dumbledore would allow him to come. Not quite sure why," he pondered.

"So in two weeks I'll know why I went after you," said Hermione brightly. "I can wait that long. Now, where are all those books on Ancient Runes? I'll bet I can find that charm I used. I just have to look at my clues better."

**A/N: So all I can say is that I am so incredibly sorry that it took me literally like 2 months to get this up and that as an apology, I'm posting the rest of this story(I hope) tonight! Don't forget to leave me lots of reviews even if you don't have to stop reading ;) I also blame the lack of recent updates on my hectic school life…and my own procrastination…I'm sorry again, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story =D**


	4. It's Okay to Cry

Disclaimer:No, I _still_ don't own Harry Potter...or Draco Malfoy much to my dismay:(  
anything you recognize doesn't belong to me.

"Draco," said Hermione, picking up the book she had been searching through, "Draco, I think I've found something. Look at this." She placed the book in front of Draco and he began to read. As he read on though, the smile that had been there began to fade.

_'The Amantes Charm, originally founded and used in Portugal, is a very complex and dangerous memory charm that witches and wizards used to use to keep their memories from being discovered if they were captured by an enemy. This charm was ideal for a time because it did not hide memories in the mind of the one who performed the charm, but in their lovers mind instead. This was done without the knowledge of the recipient, and even the caster of the charm could not be entirely sure as to who their memories would go to. The caster's memories would go to the person with whom they were in love with at the time of the casting. The memories can be transferred back only through a kiss performed in love. The Amantes Charm was outlawed in 1786 because of the extreme risks in using it. If the recipient of the memories was to die while in possession of the memories; the memories can never be recovered. It was outlawed after a great deal of the magical community lost their memories permanently when the recipients were killed in various wars.'_

"So all I have to do is find the person I was in love with," said Hermione brightly.

"'Mione," he said slowly, drawing her attention, "I don't know how to say this-"

"What?" she asked cautiously.

"You were engaged to Ron Weasley," he said, glancing at the floor.

"Were?" she asked. "What do you mean by 'were'? We broke the engagement?"

"I mean were," he replied, bringing his gaze back to Hermione. "Ron is dead. He was killed shortly after you were captured." As the meaning of Draco's words sank in, Hermione's eyes filed with tears, her vision blurring.

"So what? I can never get them back?" she voiced unsteadily. "I'll never remember anything?" Draco shook his head and the unshed tears spilled over, falling unheeded to the floor. She shook her head faintly and ran.

She ran out of the library, hearing Draco's footsteps faintly beyond her own grief. She didn't know where she ran, she didn't care. What did it matter that she was free? She could never get her memories. She would never remember her friends, her fiancée. She would always be an empty shell, never knowing what everyone else was talking about from their past years. She heard Draco call out for her to stop, but she didn't heed his words until she felt the pressure of Draco's grasp around her wrist and she had to stop.

"Please Mione," she heard him say quietly, "please, don't do this to yourself. I don't know what its like to lose all of your memories, but I do know what its like to lose something you love. Its pure agony, and nobody should have to go through that alone, least of all you."

"Draco," sobbed Hermione, "you don't understand! I will never remember my past. I will see faces and people that I recognize, but I won't know their names. And I'm going to have to take everyone's word for everything. I mean, I don't even remember _having_ a fiancée. People are going to get sick of telling me what it was that we did in sixth year, and they're going to cast me aside for someone who will actually remember them. Nobody will care about me in a year once they find out that I can't remember-"

"You're wrong," he said. "Someone will _always_ care."

"You can't know that."

"Yes, I can," replied Draco.

"How?" she challenged. "I'll bet almost everyone has already forgotten I even existed. I'm just another person who was captured!"

"No, you're not," said Draco sternly. "And I know that someone will always care because _I_ will always care."

"Draco-"

"No, I'm going to finish," he said. "You wanted to know this. I've only lost two people that I've ever loved. But they were the first and last people that I ever cared for. One was my mother, who Voldemort killed. The other person was an accident. I was never supposed to care for her, and I most certainly was not supposed to fall in love with her. But when I did, I swore that I would protect her. I always thought about her. I always comforted her when she cried; I gave her advice when she talked about how her boyfriend upset her. I watched her go as she got engaged, even helping to plan the wedding. I thought that as long as she was happy, I could be happy as well.

"And then," he continued, "then she was captured by Voldemort, and I couldn't do anything for her. One of her best friends forbid that I go to save her. And do you know what the worst part of it was?" he asked. "The worst part is that she was captured rescuing me."

"Draco, please, you don't have to-"

"And then she got away," said Draco gently, cutting her off, "and I was so happy. I was even able to help her this time." he locked Hermione's eyes with his steely gaze and Hermione found herself unable to look away from him. "She didn't remember much. She probably doesn't even remember how we became friends or all the time we spent together. But she was safe, and that was all that mattered. That is, until she found out that she would never remember anything. And then, she said the one thing that could really hurt me. Do you know what she said Hermione?" he asked. Hermione was stunned into silence and Draco went on.

"She told me that nobody would care," he said. "After three years of watching you with someone else, knowing I could never have you, helping to plan your wedding with another man, being in love with you all the while, and over a year of being in constant turmoil, knowing that you were probably being tortured because if me, hoping and praying that you were still alive. Do you think that I'm going to forget you so easily?"

Hermione shook her head as new tears stung at her eyes. She didn't even know what he had gone through and she had said all those things. How is must have felt to hear the one person you love most in the world tell you that you didn't care. She wiped away the tear that was slowly making its way down her cheek and tried to stop what would soon be a steady flow of them.

"It's okay to cry," said Draco softly as he pulled her into his warm embrace. "I'll stay with you. Cry all you want." he conjured a sofa and led her to it, they sat down. Hermione leaned into Draco and let loose all the tears that she had been holding in for over a year. The tears of sorrow, rage and pain flowed freely, landing in the soft folds of Draco's shirt as Hermione's heavy eyes drifted closed, Draco's words echoing in her mind

_I'm not going to leave you._


	5. It Was Love

Disclaimer:I own only the plot.

Draco knocked lightly on Hermione's door and was told to enter. He pushed the door open, carrying three rather large books that appeared to be photo albums went to Hermione's bed and sat beside her.

"What are those?" she asked, Draco knew that she was upset at the permanent loss of her memories.

"These," he proclaimed proudly, "are three years worth of photos. And guess what? You get to meet all of your friends again." Draco could see a measure of happiness return to her features, that she was happy to be able to see her friend's faces and know their names at the same time.

Draco flipped the one on the top open, revealing a large group photo labeled 'The Order, 1968.' Draco identified many of the people in the photo. Neville, Ginny, Molly, Remus, Luna and Seamus were all there. Hermione caught sight of herself wrapped in the arms of a fiery redhead that she knew only as Ginny's brother.

He flipped the pages again and again, putting names to the faces that she knew, but couldn't place. He flipped several more pages until he finished with the first book, and then he went on to the second, narrating all the way.

"What was he like?" asked Hermione when they came to a picture of Ron and her dancing together at the Hogwarts graduation ball.

"He was funny," replied Draco, "great at wizard's chess he never did his homework. And he loved you too much for his own good. He wouldn't eat or sleep for almost a week when you were captured, except for the few morsels of food his mum made him eat, or the few moments of fitful sleep he caught when he was too exhausted to keep his eyes open any more. He was almost as bad as I was. You started dating in our 7th year when he finally got the guts to ask you out after the Halloween Ball" Draco laughed at some memory from long ago. "When he found out that you were a spy for the order, he was furious that you'd put yourself in so much danger. The rest you'll have to ask Harry when he gets here. Besides you, nobody knew Ron like Harry did."

With that, Draco continued his narration of the second scrapbook until they had looked at all of the pictured that it had to offer. Hermione reached out for the third one, but Draco stopped her with a shake of his head.

"That one is for you to look at alone," he said.

"Why?"

"Because," he replied honestly, "there are some memories that I can't stand to relive with you right now. I don't think I can handle going through that last scrapbook with you with things the way they are now. Not after what I allowed to happen to you." Hermione looked at him strangely for a moment, the smallest bit angry that he still blamed himself for her capture. Draco apologized and explained that she would understand when she went through it.

Suddenly, they heard someone call out to them from downstairs. It was a voice that Hermione vaguely recognized, but couldn't place where she had heard it before. She knew that it belonged to Harry Potter only because he was one of the only people who had access to this house. They went to the top of the stairs and looked down to see an older version of the man Draco had pointed out to be Harry. Draco casually strolled down his stairs and exchanged a brief glance with his secret keeper.

"Hermione," breathed Harry at the sight of her. He took a step closer and embraced her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"In a manner of speaking," she replied, wrapping her arms somewhat awkwardly around the man she was positive she knew, but felt as though she  
didn't.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, sensing her strangeness. "I know it's strange, but I'm so relieved. When we got the message from Draco telling us that he had you here-" he broke off and shook his head, remembering the reason that he was really here.

"I need to speak with you," he said to Hermione before adding, "alone." He led Hermione to the library, which she had grown accustomed to during her stay with Draco. Harry looked her up and down, still amazed at how well she was, and most definitely thrilled that she was alive. He pulled her into a tight embrace once again, unable to help himself.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "You don't really remember me yet, so I know its strange, but to see you again…I thought it might never happen!"

"I'm afraid that I wont ever remember you Harry," said Hermione, his name sounding strange to say so casually.

"Oh?"

"The charm I used," she explained. "If the person that I love was killed, then I can never get my memories back, and Ron died."

"And you think you loved Ron," concluded Harry. Hermione felt the sudden need to explain herself.

"Of course," she replied. "I mean, we were engaged."

"Actually, you weren't." Hermione gaped openly at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Draco had lied to her? "No, Draco didn't lie to you," said Harry. "You broke off the engagement about a week before you were captured. Draco was already captured at that point in time, so naturally, he didn't know. He probably _still_ doesn't know the entire story."

"What is the whole story?" Hermione asked curiously. This was one question that she had always wanted to know the answer to, but never had the heart to ask Draco about.

"Well, it all started when Voldemort killed Draco's mum," explained Harry.  
"Draco went off to avenge her death. He never thought, even for one second that if he was captured that you would go after him. Well, you came to me and made me swear, you made me promise, that whatever happened, I wouldn't let anyone go back for you, especially Draco.

"I think you had a plan from the very beginning to get free. But anyway, you broke off your engagement with Ron and told him you were sorry, you didn't love him, and you went to go save Draco. You were captured and you forced Draco to run with some charm that you had learned. So, when he tried to go back for you I didn't let him go. The rest, I'm fairly certain that you know."

"But if I didn't love Ron, who did I love?"

"That Hermione," said Harry, "is your own puzzle. You said that when you came back, you had to figure it out yourself. You made sure that it was clear that I wasn't to help you with this one. You left yourself clues, follow them."

Harry then left the room, had a quick word with Draco and called out briefly to Hermione before leaving.

"Let me know when you remember me," he said. Then, he walked out the door just before apparating to some other place.

Hermione walked down the hallway leading to her room in deep thought. Why would she tell Harry not to help her? The faster that she remembered, the better for everyone else, right? Didn't she want to continue fighting against Voldemort?

She arrived at her door and turned the knob. It opened easily and soundlessly, and she stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She walked over to her bed and sat down, leaning her head on the wooden backboard.

Hermione took in the surroundings of the room for what must've been the thousandth time since her escape. She was halfway through her glance around the room when something caught her eye.

It was small, compared to many of the other books in her room, and she recognized it at once as the scrapbook that Draco had brought her. Hermione stood and went to it, fingering the smooth edges of the pages inside.

When she opened it, she realized why Draco didn't want to go through it with her. They were pictures of the two of them, smiling and waving, fighting, several group photos of her, Ron, Draco Harry and Ginny. There was one, which she thought was great, of Draco backing cautiously away from Crookshanks, glaring at the camera all the while.

This, she realized, must have been the time period when he had fallen in love with her. It was, after all, the perfect scenario. Head Boy falls in love with Head Girl after they become close friends; Head Girl is too blind to see that her friend has fallen for her. However, Hermione could see it so clearly in these photos, how much he cared for her. It was something in the way that he looked at her, like he was losing someone important to him. Someone that was more that just a friend.

It wasn't the way that he looked at her that she was alarmed by though; she already knew that much. It was the way that she looked at him that made her really think, the way the photos captured her glancing at him, rather than Ron. Her growing suspicion was confirmed on the last page though.

There was a picture of the two of them dancing at what appeared to be the Halloween Ball. Her head was rested on Draco's shoulder as they swayed to the music, a look of perfect bliss and contentment about her. The picture didn't only capture the contentment in Hermione's actions though; it caught a glimpse of something else in the eyes. It was the start of something that could only lead to more, no matter how much you fought it. And then, Hermione realized just what that something else was.

It was love.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter^^  
Drop me a review letting me know what you thought!


	6. Desperate

"Draco?" asked Hermione shyly after a soft knock on the door, which she gently pushed open, grateful that it didn't squeak.

Hermione glanced around the room and saw that it was empty. She sighed and turned to leave the room, releasing a shriek of surprise as she came face to face with Draco. At least, it would've been face to face if he didn't stand a good five inches taller than her.

"Looking for something?" he asked with a smirk. "Broken cups? Some shattered plates perhaps?" Hermione, recognizing her earlier statement, had to laugh.

"Believe it or not," she stated, "I was looking for you. But then I found your room and I decided that it would be much more fun to jinx everything in it."

"You've done that before," he muttered grimly. "I had pink hair for over a week. It was bloody awful."

"Okay seriously," said Hermione, "I have something to tell you."

"What?"

"I realized who all of my memories went to."

"Well that's great!" exclaimed Draco. "Who?"

"You." Silence greeted her statement as Draco stared disbelievingly at her.

"It can't be," he finally said. "I mean you-and Ron-but how?"

"How am I supposed to know? Harry told me that I didn't love Ron though. And I broke off our engagement a week before I left. I didn't love Harry, so that leaves you."

"Oh, well that's just bloody brilliant," muttered Draco with a sneer. "It's wonderful that I'm last on the list-gotten to through process of elimination." Hermione scowled at him.

"You're right," she said coolly, "I should have left myself a message somewhere. Maybe in a diary written in big letters 'I love Draco Malfoy!' I'm sure Voldemort wouldn't have known who I was talking about."

"You're off your rocker."

"Oh. I'm sorry," she replied, "my mind is a bit addled. I was tortured a bit too long. Gosh, it's a good thing I hid all of my memories. Who knows what Voldemort could've done with them?" the sarcasm in her voice was thick, and her words hit their target. Draco's expression became pained and Hermione instantly felt a pang of regret. She knew that he still felt horribly about her being captured on his behalf. She felt the sudden urge to apologize and make amends.

"I'm sorry Draco," she said. "That was really low."

"No, it's alright. I'm the one who started it." She didn't argue with him over who was to blame, and instead she allowed him to speak again. "So, how do we do this?"

"Well, I guess we just kiss," replied Hermione. Draco nodded and stepped closer to her. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, lingering for a moment before pulling away, waiting for some response from Hermione.

He silently prayed that it would work, that she would recover all of her lost memories. Even Ron would be a welcome memory, because if she remembered Ron that meant that she loved him. As long as it was _him_ that brought back the memories back, he didn't care what those memories were.

Hermione opened her almond eyes slowly and looked at Draco's hopeful expression. Though he hid it well, she could see the hope in his eyes, his most desperate desire that she would recover all of her memories then and there. She shook her head though. Despite how much both of them wanted it to happen, she still had no recollection of her past.


	7. Letters of Jealousy an a Diary

Hermione walked up the staircase that led to Draco's attic, hoping to find something of interest. After being cooped up in this house for well over a month, she had decided to explore. The house was certainly large enough.

Maybe she would even stumble across something of Draco's past. Since he was the only person that she was able to talk to, she thought that it would be nice to know more about him, like the small memories that most people took for granted.

She climbed up the last step and took a sweeping glance around the room, which was filled with many various boxes. Much to her surprise, her eyes came across a box that was labeled 'Hermione.' Her curiosity piqued, she went to it.

Inside, she found a packet of letters, delicately bound in white ribbon, a leather-bound book that she remembered to be her diary among other things. Deciding that the box was worth taking a look at, she picked it up and carried it to her room.

She pushed the door open with her foot-her hands were full-and went to her secretary desk. She opened the top of it and took a seat, taking the packet of letters out of the box, which she had placed on her bed. She gingerly unbound the letters and began to read them.

The letters, which were all to 'the lioness' from 'the serpent,' did not make much sense to her. She quickly decided that the letters were all from Draco. 'The Serpent' just sounded like a nickname that he would've picked for himself in his Hogwarts years. She concluded that she would have to ask Draco about them at dinner.

First, however, she would read her diary. She opened the pages and read, expecting to find the entire thing full gibberish about how much she loved Ron. However, she found that after the first few entries, she had started to write about Draco more than anything else. The letters became clear to her when she read the entry of Sept. 18th. It stated that she had enlisted the help of Draco in order to make Ron jealous and ask her out.

The letters, she realized, were back and fourth between her and Draco. They suggested different times and places to enrage Ron in the hopes that he would finally ask her out. After Ron _had_ finally asked her out though, she wrote about how unsure she was of her feelings. She had even questioned why she had bothered at all. She no longer wished so strongly to be Ron's girlfriend. Hermione now knew that she didn't love Ron on her 7th year at Hogwarts. Not then, and not years later.

She realized that all that she was doing was trying to convince herself of a non-existent love for Ron, and it had worked for a while. But why would she have put Ron through everything like that? Why would she wait until the last minute to break off the engagement? When she finished the last entry, she had more questions than answers. She did know how she had become friends with Draco though, and that counted for something.

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by Draco calling her down for dinner. She gently placed the diary on the desk and went to Draco, who was waiting for her in order to begin dinner.

"You'll be surprised to know that I've cooked this entire meal all by myself," he proudly proclaimed when he saw her.

"I'm afraid to eat it."

"That hurts Mione. If there's one thing that I can cook, its pasta."

"I stand corrected. Please, let me know when you cook the chicken." Draco laughed at her joke and they continued to make sad attempts at humor. His smile, though it seemed a bit forced, remained on his lips throughout dinner until Hermione told him about what she had found.

"Where did you find those again?" he questioned, his smile gone,

"The attic," came her reply.

"But how?" he asked to himself, clearly confused.

"What do you mean? You didn't out it there? There was a whole box of my stuff up there."

"No, I had no idea that it was there. Which means that someone else put it in the attic."

"Why does it matter who put it there?" asked Hermione. Draco gazed at her as though she had grown an extra head. Didn't she remember about Harry's firebolt?

He realized with a sense of stupidity that she didn't remember. How could she? But still, she had to have _some_ sense of danger.

"It matters because if someone who isn't an ally put it there, we're in big trouble. Hermione, realizing where this was going shook her head.

"No Draco," she said desperately. "Please, no. They're all I have left. They wont stand up to countless curse tests."

"Hermione, they could be dangerous."

"I don't care," replied Hermione stubbornly. Draco, however, would not admit defeat either.

"You may not care," he said, "but I do."

"Draco please, not this. Take away anything but this."

"What exactly did you find?" he asked with a sigh of defeat. If they were familiar items, what was the need of curse tests? Hermione quickly complied in answering his question and she went into great detail of all the items that she had found in the box.

"And the two things I thought were most interesting were my diary and the letters you wrote me about how to make Ron jealous." She opened the door to her room and led Draco to the box. He held out his hand.

"Let me see them," he said. Hermione, knowing that he no longer intended to test them, grabbed the diary and letters off of her desk and handed them to him.

"Are you telling me to let you read my diary Mr. Malfoy?" A grin played at her lips as she jested with him.

"Precisely," came his short reply. He started with the letters, taking the same, if not more, care with them that Hermione did. When he had finished reading those, recalling all the while when he had written them, he took the diary.

"Well, I definitely wrote those," he said, handing the diary to Hermione. "Here, you open this."

"What if it's cursed?"

"Oh, I don't think its cursed," he said lightly. "I do think that it's jinxed though. Knowing you, you jinxed that lovely little book to do something harmful should anyone but you open it." Hermione shrugged and complied. She couldn't argue that fact, thinking that it sounded like something she would do.

"Besides, even if it were cursed, you would already be cursed anyways."

Hermione rolled her eyes and left the room, not wanting to be in the same room as Draco as he read about how she didn't love her boyfriend and future fiancée.

Hermione stepped back into her room silently and closed the door behind her with a soft click. She wasn't surprised to see Draco still sitting in the same chair that she had left him in.

"When you first asked me to be part if your plan, I thought you were off your rocker," he finally said. "But I decided to help, just to bring him pain. By the time he had asked you out, I had already fallen in love with you. I had no idea that you didn't love Ron. If I knew, I would've asked you to stay with me."

"The Halloween Ball?"

"That is one of my most cherished memories," he answered, a brief smile playing at his lips as he remembers the night. "It was the first time that I didn't remind myself that you were in love with another man."

"Draco," said Hermione as she stepped closer to him. "I think that-" she paused. "I think that even though I didn't love you then, I do now."

Draco's heart skipped a beat as he heard the words. They were the words that he had longed to hear her say to him, the words he never thought he'd hear from her.

"Hermione, your memories-" he said hesitantly.

"Memories be damned," she declared. "I love you Draco Malfoy! I don't care anymore, as long as its you that I'm with." Draco closed the gap between them in three long strides. "Just promise me one thing Draco."

"Anything," he replied instantly.

"Just don't leave me. Okay?"

"Never," he vowed, taking her in his arms. He gazed into her pretty chocolate eyes and leaned in, brushing his lips gently against hers. Hermione smiled against his lips and pulled away.

"Tsk, tsk," she reprimanded softly. "I've only just met you." Draco smiled and embraced her more firmly.

Suddenly, Hermione winced in pain. The pain became more intense and she whimpered, bringing her hand to her head in an effort to stop the pain. Draco instantly grew more concerned and he stepped away from her just enough to view her clearly, close enough to come to her aid should the need arise.

"Hermione," he asked frantically, "are you alright?" Hermione looked at him through blurred vision as another surge of pain took her senses, her knees buckling. Draco caught her the instant that she fell and brought her to the bed.  
By the time she had reached the bed, darkness had taken her senses


	8. Happiness

A soft groan from the bed awoke Draco from his rather uncomfortable slumber and he looked to the pillows, where Hermione's head was rested. Her eyes fluttered open and she mumbled his name.

"Hermione," he breathed, keeping his voice low in case she had a headache. "Are you alright? Was it Voldemort? I gave you some dreamless sleep potion just in case."

Hermione smiled at him, as he rambled on about her welfare, waiting for him to realize that she was fine.

"If I had known that getting my memories back would hurt so much, I might have considered a different charm."

"You mean-?"

"Yup," replied Hermione. "I was right all along. Why would I have ever doubted myself?"

"But it didn't work before."

"That is because I wasn't in love with you before," replied Hermione simply. "It says that a kiss performed in love will get the memories back. That means that you have to be in love."

"Well then," said Draco with a grin, "now that you have your memories back, lets make something clear. I'm not going to let you out of my sight. And I am most certainly not going to give you up to another person. I'm much too greedy to do that again."

"Well I guess that it's a good thing that you wont have to."

_Dear Harry,___

_It's a good thing that this special paper was packed in that box that I found in Draco's attic. Now, I can write to you and nobody else can read it. I didn't know that I had this kind of paper…___

_Draco and I are happy together, and im thrilled to have my memories back. I miss Ron terribly. You must tell me everything. How? When did it happen? How bad was he when I was captured?___

_As much as I'd like to continue talking with you about trivial things, I have much more pressing business to discuss with you. Draco and I were betrayed by Blaise __  
__ Zabini, who has since died. The reason why I was so sure that I would escape is because while I was reading an old history book, I came across a map of the area before it became Voldemort's fortress. The entire thing is riddled with underground caves and passages. He probably didn't know about them, or else he would have taken measures to secure them. I barely escaped in the form of a panther (In case you didn't know, I'm an animagus.) The best defense that he has as far as guards go is Dementors. As you know, you can get past them in the form of an animal. I was only pursued because I was not careful in my escape. I was, after all, the most heavily guarded prisoner.___

_Anyone that goes to fight Voldemort, or at least to sneak in, must be exemplary at occlumency, because Voldemort can read your thoughts, even if you're in the form of an animal. The best place for you to enter would be 1.5 kilometers southwest from Draco's house (If I'm not mistaken, I told you to have him hide here. I knew that he would rescue me.)___

_I must thank you again for keeping my secrets from me, and I have one more favor to ask of you. Kill the bastard.___

_With Love,___

_Hermione___

__

With her letter written, Hermione sealed it carefully in the envelope with Harry's name already marked on it and gave it to Draco's dark owl, Jade, watching out the window as she flew away.

The time had come for the order to fight back, and Hermione had no doubt that they would win. Then, she could live once more in happiness, with Draco by her side. Always.

__

So that was the lat chapter, and the story is complete. Make sure you drop me a review letting me know what you thought of it, and thank you for sticking with me till the very end=D


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